Site context

When producing a development plan, the designers have to consider on layout, good practice, better engineering solution in order to have a most effective and the best method on energy efficient solution. In terms of sustainable, zero carbon technology could affect the implement of it. Besides, there are numbers of main elements go into site contest, they are: Neighborhood context, location, site and zoning, legal, climate and human and culture. 

As I mentioned Oxley Woods is a good example of sustainable home and development, their site context was more based on the term of “neighborhood”. Other than budget and regulations, they wanted to created a place which people could have a “unique life style”, each dwellings has its owns external colour and size, which it makes the houses look separately (Photo A). 

(Photo A)

In addition, there is a standard of building for life, it influence the idea in term of site context. The 4 criteria are: environment and community, Character, Street, parking and pedestrianization and design and construction. These criteria are based on Code for Sustainable Homes and Lifetime Homes which I have mentioned on previous posts. Moreover, the standard has given the ideas to have a good transport links, roads and parking to Oxley Woods. In Oxley Woods, most of the parking are in courtyards instead of on the streets, it helps the car not being crashed. Even the private car park in the house area (Photo B) , there is a shelter cover it, it helps to prevent the rain  during the rainy days. As you can see in the photo below, each area of housing have a car park in the middle, it can also create a higher privacy for the people who are living there. As you can see in the develop plan (Photo C), each houses were built with a big garden and gap between houses. It allows for a better ventilation. 

(Plan of Oxley Wood)

(PhotoB)

(Photo C)

Site context is an important issue when developing a building project. Having a good plan could increase the living standard, also it could decrease issue of crime in the area in terms of security.

Reference: 

hamilton. (2013). SitePlanGuidelines. Available: http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/1F64E9A0-AD13-4265-A0E3-3E0537418FD3/0/SitePlanGuidelinesSec2.pdf. Last accessed 15th Nov 2013.

Alan Gilpin (1972). Environmental Planning: a Condensed Encyclopedia. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Publications, 1972. 271.